Balance and Duality for Greater Well-Being
I recently took a Peloton ride with Hannah Frankson that was all about balance. The first half of the ride was dedicated to resistance, while the second half focused on speed. During the arm section in the middle, we worked on our biceps and then our triceps. All the songs were by music duos!
This experience led me to reflect on the importance of balance for our well-being. The healthiest diet is a balanced diet, which involves eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportion. A balanced workout should include a mix of aerobic fitness, strength training, flexibility exercises, and stretching, with a balance between exertion and recovery.
Balance is also important for our mental health. We need to ensure we allocate time for both work and leisure. Work enhances our well-being by giving us a sense of purpose, financial security, and social connections. However, working too much can lead to stress and burnout. Our relationships are stronger when we spend quality time together, while also respecting each other’s need for personal space.
Duality is the idea that life is a balance of opposing forces, such as love and hate, peace and war, good and evil. Duality replaces ‘this or that’ thinking with ‘this and that’. Understanding and accepting duality can enhance well-being by fostering resilience and reducing stress. Recognizing that life includes both positive and negative experiences and that emotions like joy and sorrow can coexist helps us manage our feelings more effectively, leading to a healthier emotional life. Duality deepens our appreciation of life. We need darkness to appreciate light, fear to value safety, and sadness to appreciate happiness.
Balance and duality both involve the coexistence of opposing forces working together to create harmony. Embracing duality means experiencing multiple emotions at once and accepting that negative experiences can foster growth and help you appreciate the good times. Balance is about creating harmony across different areas of your life.
Greater well-being comes from accepting duality and striving for balance. How might you become more open to life’s opposing forces? Are there any areas where you could create more balance in your own life?
